The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-11-09
KNIGHTS IN REVOLT.
Delegates From Thirteen States
Declare War Upon POwderly.
Taking Steps to Leave the Order
and Form a New Organization.

open war with the Executive Board OF the
Knights of Labor and have issued their
declaration of independence. On returning
from the convention about thirty five
delegates, representing thirteen States,
stopped in Chicago and determined to
bring about reorganization of the
order. They elected Provisional Committee
Of five members, Of which Charles F. Selb
was made Secretary. A long communica-
ton was drafted at Secretary Seib's office,
and was forwarded in circular form to the
Knights of Labor all over the country. The
following is the communication:
TO the Rank and File Of the Order Of the
KNIGHTS of Labor:
Indignant at the usurpation of power, the
gross violation of the laws Of our order, by
those high in authority, disguised with those
whose loyalty to the present ring has been
ward for their services; incensed at the
fawning sycophants who crawl on their
knees in slavish submission to the most
corrupt, the most hypocrltlcal, the
most autocratic and tyrannical clique
that has ever controlled any labor
organization, we therefore affirm the motto
of our order, that 'when bad men combine
the good must associate, else they will fall,
one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a con-
temptible struggle" We assert that the hour
has come when, as honest men and women,
we declare ourselves independent of those who
have abused the confidence reposed in them
by our order
Our duty to the working men and women
demand that we at once reorganlZe the
order of knights Of Labor on q basis which
will secure the autonomy Of the trades and
f1,ac Of hp
tanning to their trade and local affairs, and to
prevent it from being used in the future as q
machine to fill the Golfers of designing and
unscrupulous men, as it is by those now IN
power. We affirm the following to be the
reasons that have compelled this serious ac-
tion on our part.
l. The general office has become a luxur
ious haunt for men whose chief aim is to
benefit self, pecuniarily and otherwise, and
is no longer the Jerusalem of the humble and
honest Knight
2. There has been for more than year(be-
ginning prior to the Richmond SesSion)an un-
ierstanding, which, for lack Of a better word,
we will call a conspiracy, for the purpose of
holding the salaried positions, elective and ap-
pointive, in and under the General Assem-
bly.
S, This conspiracy has used the secret
channels and the funds of the order to manu-
facture sentiment for certain members and
against others. Certain persons sometimes
called General Lecturers" General Or
ganizers, n"General Instructors" and general
many other things, have been paid extrava-
CANT sums, both as wages and expenses, when
their chief work was to "fx" certain dis
tricts. The lobbyists of railroad corporations
would turn green with envy did they know
the superlet{ve excellence attained by these
bloodsuckers of the Knights of Labor.
o0nn sions ha bann
fused to members who were known to dis
agree with the methods of the ring, though
the applications were indorsed by the dis
trict assembly to which applicants belonged,
and commissions have been recalled because
of the refusal of the holders to fall down and
worship the powers that be.
5. District and local assemblies have been
suspended or expelled and deprived of voice
in the General Assembly because they were
known as opponents to the policy OF the con-
spirators
Conspiracies have been Matched against
dissenting members by the aid Of corrupt
tools iu the district assemblies or local as
sembles, or both of such members.
Z. The records Of the General Office have
been fixed and decorated so as to rule out or
admit, as the case might be, General Assem-.
bly, representatives.
5. Men have been admitted as delegates to
the General Assembly who clearly had no
constitutional rights to seats, while Others
have been refused upon technicalitieS con-
trary to precedent and established custom
In all cases the test was for or against the
ring.
8. (A) Many thousands of dollars Of the
orders funds have been illegally expended
frequently against the earnest protests of
honest and law abiding members.
(B) Extrayagant hotel bills contracted by
the families of general officers have been paid
out of the orders funds, as have family
laundry and bar bills.
(C) Funds have been given and loaned to
officers and their friends for their own per-
Sonal use.
O) General officers, organizers, and lee
turers have not only been paid liberal salaries
and allowed heavy expenses from the general
treasury, but have charged additional sums
to the locals and districts
10. Honest men devoted to the cause of
labor have been made the scapegoats OF the
laundering high officials and driven in dis
grace from the movement.
II. Efforts made by Assemblies to better
their condition have been strangled by the
ring 1t is charity to say for no meaner
reason than in response to the clamor Of the
common enemy Of labor.
labor press, union establishments and the
products of Knights of Labor and union
labor for the sole purpose Of downing"
workingmen and women who could not be
used by the conspirators
Is. Persons who were not members Of the
order have been provided, for personal
reasons, with lucrative positions i'll the
general office
IA. The constitution has been altered in an
Illegal manner; it has been tampered with,
and measures inimical to the interests Of the
order at large have been railroaded into what
Is called claw
15 War has been waged by the admins
tration ring against trades unions and trades
districts. The motto of the ring has been,
"Down with trades districts; exterminate
the trades unions" This in spite Of our obli-
cation to extend a helping hand to all
branches Of honorable toil.n
is. Nearly every important strike Or lock-
out in which the general officers interfered
was lost.
II. AS result of this laundering, wshy-
washy, incompetent, and stupidity arbitrary
policy, the membership of the order has de-
creased 2l7, ,S2i members in one year.
IS. In spite of the decrease of membership,
they have increased the annual expenditures
OF the general officers to S500,000.
49,. There was no itemiZed account Of re-
ceipts and expenditures either issued quar-
terly, as had formerly been the custom, or to
the General Assembly.
90. In the General Assembly, arguments
were met by buncombe: gag law was reduced
to a system BY Jne use OF Ine previous
question; outrageous decisions rendered;
appeals and protests ignored, ell for the pur
nose of covering up the rascality OF those in
power.
With tbe above declaration desiring in
formation will please address
CHARLES F. SE1B,
Secretary of the Provisional Committee.